Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.

Leo XIV told the ambassadors that as pope he intended “to strengthen understanding and dialogue” with their respective countries.

Both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV on May 18, the vice president’s office said.

“The peoples of our world desire peace,” Pope Leo XIV said, “and to their leaders I appeal with all my heart: Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate! War is never inevitable.”

In a letter to Rabbi Noam Marans of the American Jewish Committee, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations.

Pope Leo XIV asked journalists to be peacemakers by shunning prejudice and anger in their reporting, and he called for the release of journalists imprisoned for their work.